Answer :

Italy has attracted settlers for thousands of years because of many reasons, of course, but it's positioning as a prime spot in the Mediterranean Ocean was a major reason. 

I believe the answer is: central location and climate

The geographic location of italy give easy access to reach any other countries in Europe, which is important for both tourism or business purposes. The climate in italy is typically Relatively warm summer and not particularly cold winter, which is ideal for people because it does not give high challenge for their physicality.